LoveYourTresses: Diary of a Tress Lover : Nyla of Kulchic Beauty

If you've been an LYT blog reader for more than a month you'll remember that I attended my very first Haircare Event in March. I felt like a kid in a candy store seeing so many yummy heads of hair and meeting my all time fave UK Hair bloggers, Nyla being one of them! I love a blog that goes beyond hair facts and actually gives real life snippets into the journey towards healthier hair; Nyla's blog does exactly that, and she even does Makeup too! Do I hear double whammy?! She went from relaxed to natural with a daring BC so her story definitely is an exciting read...

- Hair Story -
I was a short term transitioner to be totally honest I did not know what transitioning meant at that time. My hair stopped responding to relaxers, it would not relax and I was experiencing serious breakage, so I stopped relaxing my hair. I kept my hair in weaves so that I did not have to deal with it or relax it. My natural hair grew pretty fast, so I kept doing that for about 5 months.

I did my first big chop in May 2011. When I finally did my first big chop I realised my mistake. I was texturizing the front of my hair to keep it sleek thinking that my natural curls would revert back, oh was I wrong! So a week after my initial big chop, I chopped it again. It was the perfect style and the perfect time to have short hair, it was during the summer. I have to say I felt so liberated after doing my second big chop. I received a lot of compliments from my friends and family, they loved the short look!

However as soon as my hair started going out and most people realised that I wasn’t going to relax my hair again that’s when I started receiving negative comments; mostly from family members. That did not discourage me; I knew what I went through with relaxers, I wasn’t going back. A lot of people also thought I was going through a phase and once I got tired of natural hair that I would relax my hair again. Some people I knew would laugh at the way my hair looked. That did not discourage me, in fact I told myself that I would want to be an inspiration to people who also wanted to go natural.

I have been on my natural hair journey for 12 months now and the 17th May 2012 marked my 1 year anniversary! I am so proud of myself, not just because I have been natural for a year but also because I have inspired a lot of ladies out there especially in my family. It makes me feel good inside knowing that what I am doing is helping people!

- Hair type and length -
My hair is type 4 hair and either 4C or 4B. I have different textures all over my head. My sides and back hair are really tightly coiled and the middle part of my hair has loose curls. As for the length of my hair, the last time I checked was when I was when I was 10 months natural. The front of my hair goes past the bridge of my nose, the side reaches my chin and the back goes past my shoulder.

- Haircare Regime -
I always do a pre-poo and I mostly use oils like Vatika frosting from Hairveda or my homemade oil concoction. I shampoo once a month with a clarifying shampoo but do not have a staple yet, I will be buying the Shea moisture deep cleansing shampoo soon to try. I co- wash once or twice a week with my Tresemme Naturals Conditioner. I do a deep treatment on my hair twice a month and love Organics Roots Stimulator Replenishing conditioner and Organic stimulator Hair Mayonnaise. After every wash I apply a leave-in conditioner, I use Cantu Shea butter Leave in Conditioning Repair cream and moisturise daily or every other day with Shea Moisture Raw Shea Butter Restorative Conditioner or my homemade concoction spritz. I love to make my own oil mixture so I do not buy oils from brands, my favourite oils are Coconut oil, Castor oil, Grapeseed oil and Avocado oil. And sometimes if I am too lazy to mix my oils I use Hairveda vatika Frosting (Coconut oil infused in herbs) it smells like hmmm cake icing so good!!!

- Top hair tips/lessons learned -
I love protective styles, weaves and braids were my saviour during my awkward stage of being natural. Because I did not know how to style my hair and I was still learning about natural hair, I started doing weaves and braids, especially during the winter it was great, my hair grew really well. I still took care of my hair underneath my protective styles and I made sure it was well moisturised. Protective styles helps to protect my hair from the harsh weathers and it also helps in retaining my Hair length.
The key to retaining length for me is by keeping my hair moisturised. Our natural hair loves water, it drinks it lol. One main thing I have learned whilst on this natural hair journey is to experience and test different products to find the best product for your hair. What works for one person might not necessarily work for you, even if you have the same hair type as the other person. I have had to study my hair and do so much research on natural hair because it was all new to me and I had to understand my texture and how to care for it.

- Biggest challenges faced since being on your HHJ? -
When I first big chopped I experienced a lot of dryness on my hair and scalp, I tried so many products that did not work, it was frustrating and that was the biggest challenge for me. I kept searching for the right product to tackle my dryness and I found Cantu Shea butter Leave-in Conditioning Repair cream and Silk 'n' Smooth Styling Lotion. Those creams helped my hair to stay moisturised.